It's been said that asking Southern Baptists to vote for evangelism is like asking a convention of dentists to pass a resolution in favor of brushing and flossing.

But when the Southern Baptist Convention gathers in Louisville next month, a proposed manifesto for renewed evangelism likely will get close scrutiny before an expected vote to refer it to a study committee.

At issue is a proposed "Great Commission Resurgence," a 10-point plan written by Danny Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C....

I don't know exactly what is behind this, but I've met Jimmy Barrentine, head of the Iowa Convention, and I've seen him in action. The first time I met Mr. Barrentine was at a conference of pastors from all over the state of Iowa. Mr. Barrentine was in the parking lot picking up trash and welcomed us when we drove up. He didn't introduce himself as the head of the convention, but as Jimmy; that is servant leadership at work. We didn't know until much later that he was the president of the Iowa Convention. Iowa's Convention is run like a mission; no overbloat or executives with high salaries like here in the Tennessee Convention. If Mr. Barrentine is skeptical of this new resolution, I would be wary of the motive(s) behind the new resolution.